Mills (43 Points) Leads Fairfax to 107-71 Victory Over Crenshaw

Chris Mills scored a game-high 43 points to lead Fairfax to a 107-71 win over Crenshaw Friday night in the championship semifinals of the St. Monica tournament.

The victory put Fairfax, The Times’ No. 1-ranked City team, in tonight’s final, which starts at 8.

Crenshaw, ranked No. 2 in the City, controlled the early tempo of the game and jumped to a 16-7 lead with John Staggers hitting three straight shots.

Fairfax, trailed, 23-18, late in the first quarter, but its pressing defense began to cause numerous Crenshaw turnovers that resulted in layups for Fairfax or fouls by Crenshaw.

During a 12-minute stretch from just before the end of the first quarter to 6:50 left in the third quarter, Fairfax outscored Crenshaw, 33-12, to open a 51-33 lead, and the game was over for all practical purposes.

Mills, in addition to being the games’ high scorer, dominated both the offensive and defensive boards. Teammate Sean Higgins finished with 26 points.

Crenshaw was led by John Staggers, who had 24 points.